London is the only city in the world where members of the Bloomsbury Group could hail a black cab while barrage balloons hover over Broadcasting House during the Blitz, or where you could find Gilbert and George sharing space with the Gherkin and the Globe, while the Great Fire burns and a gin drinker glugs her favorite tipple. You see, An Alphabet of London is Christopher Brown's utterly delightful visual dictionary, in which whimsical linocut prints illustrate aspects of London past and present. For each letter, a colorful initial on the left-hand page and a multihued architectural print on the right are accompanied by additional images in black that pertain to the letter in question, including Dickens, the Tower Bridge, pigeons, Wimbledon, the Diamond Jubilee, and jellied eels.

"A charmingly illustrated guide to London.... Bring it with you next time you wander around the city and see how many of the landmarks you can spot."—Times (London)